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India, Indonesia and China present new proposal on fisheries subsidies
Exceptions to potential future WTO rules on fisheries subsidy spending featured prominently during a 13-16 May session of the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules. In addition to a proposal on these exceptions by India, Indonesia and China delegates discussed general disciplines and technical assistance. The chair of the rules talks, Uruguayan Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmes,…
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CTE: slow progress on Doha trade and environment mandate
Progress on the Doha Round mandate on trade and the environment remains sluggish, as negotiators at a 5-6 May session of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment discussed how to liberalise trade in environmental goods and services, and clarify the relationship between global trade rules and trade provisions in international environmental accords. The informal…
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Vacancy
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), a Canadian-based not-for-profit organisation with personnel in more than 30 countries, is seeking an experienced Senior Economist (Climate Change, Energy and Trade) to participate in research and projects within IISD, and to provide advice to the Swiss government on the links between climate change, trade, finance and economic…
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WTO AG Chair's Revised Text Charts Slow Progress On Sensitive Products
A long-awaited revised draft agriculture deal for the troubled WTO Doha Round was circulated on 19 May by the chair of the farm talks. While the text incorporates gradual progress in areas such as Members’ ’sensitive’ farm products, it leaves untouched most of the controversial ‘headline numbers’ such as the percentage cuts for overall trade-distorting…
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New NAMA text would grant greater flexibilities to developing countries
A new draft deal from the chair of the deadlocked WTO negotiations on manufacturing trade would allow developing countries to shield a higher share of industrial imports from the full force of tariff reduction if they agree to relatively steep overall duty cuts. The draft, circulated by Canadian Ambassador Don Stephenson to Members on 19 May,…
- In Brief
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EU, South Korea aim to finalise trade agreement this year
The seventh round of free trade negotiations between the European Union and South Korea ended on 15 May with negotiators aiming for a free trade agreement within the year, despite ongoing disagreements over rules of origin and industrial goods tariffs. In a number of sectors such as pharmaceuticals and electronics, the two sides made progress…
- WTO in Brief
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Ukraine joins WTO
Ukraine became the 152nd Member of the World Trade Organisation on 16 May, following 14 years of negotiations over the country’s terms of entry into the global forum. To meet the requirements of its accession package, Kiev has implemented a range of economic reforms, including amending more than 50 domestic laws and promising to enact further…
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New sanitary guidelines recognise disease-free regions during outbreaks
A new set of WTO guidelines entered into force last week, allowing importers to discriminate between farm imports from different regions of a single country in cases of disease or pest outbreaks. Previously, an outbreak automatically led to the barring of all agricultural imports in the affected sector from the entire country. The new rules…
- Events
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Events
Coming up: 22-29 May 22 May, Worldwide. INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. "Biodiversity and Agriculture," is the theme of the 2008 International Day for Biological Diversity. Agriculture is a key example of how human activities have profound impacts on the ecosystems of our planet. This year’s theme seeks to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture, not…
- Resources
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Resources
GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2008: MDGS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: AGENDA FOR INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The World Bank, April 2008. Global Monitoring Report 2008, the fifth in an annual series, is essential reading for those who wish to follow the global development agenda and debate in 2008. The year marks the midpoint toward the 2015 deadline…